-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's the worst-kept secret since Adam Lambert 's sexuality : Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone on Tuesday .

There are a bunch of reasons you already knew this . For one , every tech journalist on earth has been writing about the new-now-next-generation iPhone since the company 's last `` Jesus phone '' -- the iPhone 4 -- graced us with its presence in June 2010 . You 've seen the gossip here , and on countless Apple-focused blogs with apt and obvious names like MacRumors and TheAppleBlog .

The rumor mill , you 'll likely recall , revved to full throttle in early September when CNET reported that an Apple employee lost a prototype of the next iPhone -- likely called the iPhone 5 -- in a Mexican restaurant and bar in San Francisco .

To cap it all off , Apple sent out an e-mail on September 27 teasing reporters with phone-related pictures and this not-so-cryptic tagline :

`` Let 's talk iPhone . ''

So , yeah , we pretty much know what 's coming .

And at the same time , we do n't . The tech specs of the new phone are still hotly debated , as reporters scour Apple patents , SKU codes and , of course , Bay Area bars for any remaining iPhone-rumor morsels sure to grab the public 's attention .

All will become clear at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday when Apple hosts its iPhone `` launch '' event at its headquarters in Cupertino , California . But for those of you who are drooling for the details , here 's the wisdom du jour from the People of the Internet :

-- The phone will be called the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S . Or both -LRB- see below -RRB- .

-- It likely will cost $ 200 with a 2-year wireless service contract from AT&T or Verizon .

-- The iPhone may come to Sprint , too . The Wall Street Journal was reporting Monday that Sprint Nextel has entered into an eye-opening agreement with Apple to buy more than $ 20 billion worth of iPhones over the next four years . -LRB- But the phone wo n't be coming yet to T-Mobile , as Mark Milian reports -RRB- .

-- It will be `` skinnier , shorter and wider '' than before , according to Gizmodo , which is basing these assumptions on supposed leaked cases for the phone and on `` informed renderings . ''

-- PC World -LRB- irony noted -RRB- expects the iPad 's faster processor to squeeze its way into the iPhone .

-- The phone will have a `` teardrop '' back , meaning it 's fatter at the top than the bottom , according to the blog This is My Next . The iPhone 4 is flat on both sides .

-- It may have a `` world mode , '' meaning it could transition onto other cell networks easily .

-- It will have an upgraded , 8-megapixel rear camera .

-- It may employ new voice-recognition features , says Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster . His evidence ? That e-mail Apple sent to journalists : `` Let 's talk iPhone . '' Voice-recognition . Get it ?

-- It 's possible Apple will unveil not one -- but TWO iPhones .

-- If so , the second likely will be cheaper and will have less storage capacity . Some bloggers have taken to calling it the iCloud Phone , because it could tie in with Apple 's new cloud-computing services . -LRB- Side note : Al Gore , an Apple board member , gave some credence to the second-iPhoners when he mentioned `` the new iPhones coming out next month '' during a speech in South Africa -RRB- .

-- Based on Apple 's past iPhone release patterns , the phone -LRB- or phones -RRB- will likely go on sale later this month -LRB- most bloggers predict mid-October -RRB- .

Of course , as is the case with any Apple product , die-hard fans will buy whatever the new thing is -- no matter what it is exactly , and no matter how much it costs .

The other mysteries surrounding the Tuesday event are all about Apple 's leadership .

This is the first product announcement for Apple -- the world 's most valuable company -- under the direction of its new CEO , Tim Cook . There 's speculation about whether Cook , who is reported to be a private person , will take center stage at the event or yield the spotlight to his deputies .

And there are rumors that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs , who handed over the company to Cook in August following a medical leave of absence , will make an appearance at the event .

It seems likely that Cook will run the show , and BusinessInsider and plenty of others expect as much . It would n't be the first time Cook helped with an Apple presentation -- he appeared onstage in January when the company unveiled an iPhone on Verizon 's network -- but it would be his first time as headliner .

But , like the rest of you , we 'll just have to hang on until Tuesday -- when all these rumors get zapped with a dose of reality .

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Apple is expected to debut a new iPhone on Tuesday

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Rumor has it the phone will be called iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S

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Tech blogs have been speculating about the phone for months

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Tim Cook , Apple 's new CEO , expected to make announcement at headquarters